Category: Politics

September 21, 2008 (AFP) – Former Sri Lankan President Dingiri Banda Wijetunga, died on Sunday after a prolonged illness, his aide said.He was 86. Wijetunga, who was Sri Lanka’s third executive president, died of a chest ailment at a hospital in the central hillside town of Kandy, his aide Sarath Muniratne told reporters. A member […]

September 16, 2008 (AFP) – The United Nations pulled its staff out of rebel-held areas in Sri Lanka’s north on Tuesday after the government refused to guarantee the safety of aid workers.Some 70,000 people have fled due to fighting in the past two months alone. The withdrawal came as the island’s government said it was […]

BRUSSELS, September 15, 2008 (AFP) – EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel on Monday expressed “grave concern” at the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka and called for human rights laws to be respected. Civilians should also be guaranteed safe passage to leave the conflict area “and relocate in safer areas,” he added. “I’m deeply […]

Sept 16, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s parliament will debate the issues of a state-run budget airline that has been eating up peoples’ money and a senior public official who was faulted by courts, an opposition lawmaker said. Jayasundera immediately offered to resign but the government has not accepted his resignation. Sri Lanka’s controversial Mihin […]

TOKYO, September 15, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake on Monday arrived in Japan, the South Asian country’s top donor, for talks with counterpart Yasuo Fukuda, officials said.Fukuda, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago, will formally stay in office as Japan’s prime minister until parliament appoints the next prime minister following the […]

September 11, 2008 (AFP) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came in for tough criticism Thursday from Sri Lanka’s government, which accused him of unwittingly helping Tamil Tiger rebels. Responding to the UN chief’s concern over civilians displaced by heavy fighting in the north of the island, a Sri Lankan government rights official said a […]

DENVER, August 27, 2008 (AFP) – A new media army has descended on the Democratic convention in Colorado this week, boldly claiming to offer a fresh perspective on US politics distinct from the mainstream media. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 For the first time […]

August 26, 2008 (AFP) – Rights groups on Tuesday denounced Sri Lanka’s use of tough prevention of terrorism laws against a veteran journalist reporting on the island’s decades-old ethnic conflict. The condemnation came a day after authorities formally charged J.S. Tissanayagam with inciting racial hatred and bringing disrepute to the government. The journalist, who has […]

Aug 24, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition is securing comfortable wins in two provincial polls with large majorities in most polling divisions, official results show, increasing the likelihood of further polls in the months ahead, analysts say.A similar trend is seen in the Ratnapura and Kegalle districts of the Sabaragamuwa province, in polling […]

Aug 24, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition has won convincingly over the main opposition and weakened a Marxist former ally in a provincial poll, placing the administration in a strong position to go for national polls on its own.The United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of President […]

August 23, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka staged local elections under tight security Saturday as troops pushed deeper into Tamil Tiger territory, closing in on the rebel capital in the war-ravaged north, officials said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘act (space) lbo’ and send to 678 Two out of […]

OLOMBO, August 23, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka was holding provincial elections amid high security Saturday as government forces pushed deeper into territory held by Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s north, officials said. Two out of the nine provinces on the island were voting to elect the highest level of local government in the […]